Abstract
Research on the vocational decision to become an entrepreneur highlights how culture justifies such decisions when entrepreneurs align with the dominant cultural norms. Less is known about such justification when entrepreneurship is seen as less culturally appropriate. This qualitative study explores how entrepreneurs in Santiago, Chile and Nairobi, Kenya use strategies that comply, combine, and defy frames to justify vocational choices. Our framework sheds new light on how entrepreneurs act as purposeful cultural agents and use justification strategies to navigate constraining societal frames.